TEHRAN: Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi is scheduled to visit China on Tuesday, the Foreign Ministry announced, just days before a third round of nuclear negotiations between Tehran and Washington.
The visit was confirmed by ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei during a press briefing on Monday. It comes as part of ongoing diplomatic efforts surrounding the 2015 nuclear deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), which China originally signed alongside Iran, the United States, the UK, France, Russia, Germany, and the European Union.
Araghchi’s trip marks his second to China in recent months, following a visit in December.
While the Chinese Foreign Ministry did not directly confirm the upcoming visit, a spokesperson told AFP that “China and Iran maintain exchanges and interactions at different levels and in different fields.”
The JCPOA, which placed significant curbs on Iran’s nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief, was unilaterally abandoned by the United States in 2018 under then-President Donald Trump. In response, Iran gradually began breaching the deal’s limits a year later.
Trump, now back in office, has resumed calls for new nuclear talks with Tehran, though tensions remain high amid ongoing threats of military action.
The upcoming talks, mediated by Oman and involving Araghchi and Trump’s Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, are scheduled for Saturday.
China remains Iran’s largest trading partner and the primary buyer of its oil. Despite sweeping U.S. sanctions, roughly 92 percent of Iranian oil exports reportedly go to China—often sold at heavily discounted rates.
In 2021, Iran and China signed a 25-year strategic partnership agreement spanning energy, infrastructure, security, and telecommunications, underscoring the depth of their bilateral ties.
